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history department at the College of Charleston, this prize is awarded by a committee which determines the best book published about South Carolina history. Olejniczak says, “It is a significant accomplishment for a historian.” Poole said he “much appreciated it as there are so many outstanding works published by Southern historians about our state.”

Poole received his master’s degree in religion at the Harvard Divinity School and earned his doctorate in American History at the University of Mississippi. His dissertation at Ole Miss would become the topic of his first book.

Poole teaches several classes in both history and religion. His classes include History of South Carolina, which he says he “enjoys teaching more than anything else,” Society and Culture of Early Charleston, Religion in the American South, and South Carolina in the New South. He is working on another class, African American Religion, which will be offered in the near future.

His book, “Never Surrender: Confederate Memory and Conservatism in the South Carolina Upcountry,” focuses on the “Lost Cause” movement in the post Civil War South. The book covers such issues as how the Confederacy was remembered and celebrated in South Carolina after the Civil War. It examines the role this perception played in society on such issues as politics and religion. In his book, Poole explains that, “Southern conservatives used the Lost Cause movement to define and encode the boundaries of racial identity, to reaffirm antebellum attitudes regarding gender, and to express a revived Confederate nationalism.” Poole believes that elements of the “Lost Cause” movement still linger in the South today.

Poole says “Teaching and writing go hand in hand” and he uses his book in his History of South Carolina class. In the book acknowledgments he says that the interaction he has with his students is very beneficial to his work and rewarding for himself as a writer and a teacher.

Other books Dr. Poole has been involved with are “Vale of Tears," a collection of essays on religion and reconstruction that will be released in November 2005. He has an essay published in this work and is also the co-editor. Also coming out in November is “South Carolina Civil War” which is a narrative history of the Civil War in South Carolina and is written for a more popular audience, according to Poole. He is also working on a book about the First South Carolina African, the first federalized, black union regiment based out of Beaufort S.C. This book will be published by the University of Florida Press.

For students who are interested in pursuing studies in history and writing, Poole recommends thinking about more nontraditional careers. Because there is such a small market for professors, he says it is important to consider “using a history degree for something other than teaching, such as public history archives, museum work, law or government.”

Apart from teaching and writing, Poole enjoys kayaking in the surrounding Charleston areas. This is his favorite way to relax when the weather permits, he says.

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FOCUS ON THE FACULTY
CONFEDERATE "LOST CAUSE" NOT LOST ON HISTORY PROFESSOR
*By Hunter Huber*
W. Scott Poole History	Dr. W. Scott. Poole, an assistant history professor at the College of Charleston, studies and teaches predominately South Carolina history. A native of South Carolina, Dr. Poole is originally from Powdersville and has been teaching at the College of Charleston for nearly three years. He has recently published a book titled, “Never Surrender: Confederate Memory and Conservatism in the South Carolina Upcountry.” The focus of the book is the “Lost Cause” movement. The “Lost Cause” movement refers to how the Confederacy was remembered after the Civil War in the South. Poole is an accomplished writer whose work can be found in the Journal of Southern History, Studies in Popular Culture, Civil War History and the Encyclopedia of the American Civil War. Poole was recommended to be featured on this website by Nina Kushner, an assistant history professor at the College of Charleston, because of his diverse and interesting projects in Southern history and contemporary Southern culture. His book won the South Carolina Historical Association prize in 2004. According to Bill Olejniczak, chairman of the
history department at the College of Charleston, this prize is awarded by a committee which determines the best book published about South Carolina history. Olejniczak says, “It is a significant accomplishment for a historian.” Poole said he “much appreciated it as there are so many outstanding works published by Southern historians about our state.” Poole received his master’s degree in religion at the Harvard Divinity School and earned his doctorate in American History at the University of Mississippi. His dissertation at Ole Miss would become the topic of his first book. Poole teaches several classes in both history and religion. His classes include History of South Carolina, which he says he “enjoys teaching more than anything else,” Society and Culture of Early Charleston, Religion in the American South, and South Carolina in the New South. He is working on another class, African American Religion, which will be offered in the near future. His book, “Never Surrender: Confederate Memory and Conservatism in the South Carolina Upcountry,” focuses on the “Lost Cause” movement in the post Civil War South. The book covers such issues as how the Confederacy was remembered and celebrated in South Carolina after the Civil War. It examines the role this perception played in society on such issues as politics and religion. In his book, Poole explains that, “Southern conservatives used the Lost Cause movement to define and encode the boundaries of racial identity, to reaffirm antebellum attitudes regarding gender, and to express a revived Confederate nationalism.” Poole believes that elements of the “Lost Cause” movement still linger in the South today. Poole says “Teaching and writing go hand in hand” and he uses his book in his History of South Carolina class. In the book acknowledgments he says that the interaction he has with his students is very beneficial to his work and rewarding for himself as a writer and a teacher. Other books Dr. Poole has been involved with are “Vale of Tears," a collection of essays on religion and reconstruction that will be released in November 2005. He has an essay published in this work and is also the co-editor. Also coming out in November is “South Carolina Civil War” which is a narrative history of the Civil War in South Carolina and is written for a more popular audience, according to Poole. He is also working on a book about the First South Carolina African, the first federalized, black union regiment based out of Beaufort S.C. This book will be published by the University of Florida Press. For students who are interested in pursuing studies in history and writing, Poole recommends thinking about more nontraditional careers. Because there is such a small market for professors, he says it is important to consider “using a history degree for something other than teaching, such as public history archives, museum work, law or government.” Apart from teaching and writing, Poole enjoys kayaking in the surrounding Charleston areas. This is his favorite way to relax when the weather permits, he says. ### Back to Featured Faculty